As a part of our business field technician team, Jimmie handles dispatches and on-site troubleshooting for many of our business clients. He’s the face of Socket for new customers being installed for the first time, and is on the front lines when something needs to be fixed.

"He does good work," said a coworker who nominated him for the award. "Jimmie's just good stuff overall."

Jimmie is a Columbia native, a Hickman High School graduate, and holds an associate’s degree in culinary arts. This is his second time winning this award – he was also our honoree in April 2016, and has just celebrated his third anniversary here. Not a bad record!

"I enjoy the people I work with,” said Jimmie. “As a field services tech, I get the opportunity to meet so many people and get new problems to solve each day.”

Congratulations to John Martin, Technical Support Agent, on being named Socket's You-Make-the-Difference-Award winner for June!

John has been with Socket for just over two years and was described by a co-worker as "the rock of the residential tech team." He spends much of his day juggling requests and questions from customers, technicians, and his fellow tech support agents - and does it all while staying calm and collected.

"He's everything you could ask for in a tech," said a co-worker who nominated him. "There isn't much he doesn't know, and no problem that he wouldn't tackle head-on. He's got honest, straightforward answers plus great customer service."

In his free time, John enjoys spending time with his friends and family, as well as fixing up his recently purchased home, which he shares with his foster chihuahua Kali. He's also recently taken up woodworking and gardening (which may not be a coincidence!).

"I love all the friends I've made at Socket," said John. "These are people I've come to rely on, not just in the workplace, but also outside of it. Our entire team exceeds expectations."

The Socket Rocket made another appearance this year at the Mid Missouri Soap Box Derby in downtown Columbia, flying down a large blocked-off section of Broadway. Our driver this year, Elizabeth Connon, inherited the car from her older brother Michael, who has been racing it the past few years.

She and her competition were racing for a spot at the International Soap Box Derby in Akron, OH. This is Socket's seventh year sponsoring the Mid Missouri Soap Box Derby, which teaches the kids about sportsmanship, science, technology, engineering, math, and basic safe driving skills. We love watching the cars in action, and congrats to all the racers who participated this year!

Originally from Guttenberg, New Jersey, Frank moved to Missouri back in 2001. When his friend and former co-worker, Dave Giles, told him about his new job at Socket, Frank decided to apply too – and he’s been a valuable member of the team since. In fact, this is his second time winning the award!

“He’s always ready to tackle any job we give him,” said a co-worker who’d nominated him. “A real team player!”

“He makes fiber sparkle,” said another.

While Frank enjoys fishing and hunting, he probably doesn’t have as much time for it as he did last time he won this award – he and his wife now have a son, who “loves dogs, so I guess we’re getting a dog soon!”

“Socket’s a great place to work,” said Frank. “You’ve got great coworkers, and everyone’s willing to help when you’re in a pickle. I’m grateful and honored to have won.”

Steven had been familiar with Socket as a company since the early 2000s, back when headquarters were on downtown Cherry Street in Columbia. After a brief stint in Wisconsin, Steven returned to Missouri and began looking for a job with a local tech company – and “the idea of working for a locally owned one appealed more” to him.

He’s now a member of our residential technical support team, helping customers, as he puts it, “over the occasional hurdle in modern technology.” He’s also a reliable team member, and valuable source of knowledge, to his fellow techs.

“He’s an amazing person to work with,” said a coworker who nominated him for the award. “He’s friendly to every customer, and makes sure that everything’s done correctly. He’s always willing to help others, and goes out of his way to do so.”

When he’s not at work, Steven enjoys biking and being outdoors, as well as cooking at home (often with a beer or two)! He’s also a bit of a traveler – Steven’s spent timing living on all major coasts of the US, as well as in between.

“The coworkers are absolutely the best thing about working at Socket,” said Steven. “And there’s also how extraordinarily happy some customers are when you get them up and running.”

On Friday, April 14th, Socket was a sponsor for the Dream Factory Poker Tournament which took place at Cub Impulse to benefit the Dream Factory of Central Missouri. For the last nine years, the annual poker tournament has raised enough money to provide dreams to children with chronic and critical illnesses.

As a sponsor of the Dream Factory Poker Tournament, Socket was able to contribute to the money raised, which totaled over $150,000!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the tournament and donated to the organization. For more information on the Dream Factory of Central Missouri, go here.

You might have heard about recent legislation that addresses how internet service providers (ISPs) can use the personal data of their customers. We want to take this opportunity to share our own views on this issue, as we believe the privacy of our customers is of utmost importance.

Socket does not sell your personal internet usage information. Ever. This includes your browsing history, search history, the content of emails you send and receive, files you download, and more.

In addition, Socket will not provide government or law enforcement with access to any of our customers' personal usage information without a subpoena.

Individual websites and services you use online may have different policies about how they use your personal information. Remember to review the privacy policies of these services and understand if and how your data is being shared or sold.

The very nature of doing business as an ISP involves having access to personal information, and we want you to know that it's a responsibility we will never take lightly.

Joshua had been interested in tech from a young age, so when he heard about a local tech company headquartered in Columbia, he thought it’d be a good place to get his foot in the door. The rest, as they say, is history; Joshua now helps program custom phone systems for our business customers, and provides post-installation support.

“Joshua’s always helpful when there’s something I don’t understand,” said a coworker who nominated him for the award. “He answers questions in a way that’s easy to grasp, often with a quirky anecdote and a smile!”

At home, Joshua enjoys working on cars and computers, and picking up odd hobbies to try out – like leatherworking! But for now, he and his wife are busy preparing for their son, who is due to arrive in late spring. They also share their home with a “too-fluffy little dog who thinks she’s a cat."

“My favorite part of working at Socket is the flexibility it provides,” said Joshua. “Instead of submitting ideas to a VP of Process Revision over in Ontario, it’s easy to just go talk to whoever’s in charge of something and bounce ideas. [We] can listen to feedback and make changes that more monolithic companies aren’t flexible enough to make.”

Theresa Lichty has been named Socket's You-Make-the-Difference-Award winner for February.

Theresa first joined Socket's marketing team in June 2012. Since then, she's taken on a variety of projects, including the planning and execution of Socket events, writing Socket's monthly email newsletter and other messages to our customers, creating advertisements, and much more.

"Theresa does a great job and always does it with a smile on her face," said a co-worker who nominated her for the award. "She really works hard to promote Socket, and the services we provide to prospective customers throughout Missouri."

Last October, Theresa married Nathan Lichty, who also works for Socket. They actually met here almost 5 years ago! Theresa enjoys playing video games, cooking, and preparing teeny-tiny salads for Wakka, her bearded dragon.

"You meet the most wonderful people working at Socket," says Theresa. "Everyone knows and cares for each other, and we all want each other to succeed."

Originally just looking to earn a little networking experience, Cody ended up finding that Socket was “way cooler” than the other places he was training for. After branching out with other companies in the industry, Cody returned to Socket in 2015 as a technical support lead, helping to train and advise our newer technical support agents, as well as helping customers with any issues.

“As a Tier 3 Residential Tech, Cody’s proven to be an excellent source of information, and is always gracious in how he conveys that info to his colleagues,” said a coworker who nominated him. “He helps those around him to listen, research and learn.”

Cody enjoys spending time and making art with his wife, Tabby, and their three children, who are his “favorite people on earth – I love seeing their gears kick in exploring the world.” He also builds custom gaming computers for clients in his spare time, a lucrative hobby which allows him to design and build even crazier set-ups with his brother!

“Out of the three ISPs I’ve worked for, Socket is easily the best,” said Cody. “You have the ability to do anything you want to do and learn from so many people – there are more people with more years of random IT experience here than anywhere else I’ve worked.”

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Who is Socket

Founded in 1994, Socket is a Missouri-based telephone and Internet service provider with the largest service area in the state.

Socket is a privately held company that provides families and businesses a choice for local and long-distance phone and Internet service. We combine the highest quality customer service with in-depth technical knowledge.

Our network serves more than 20,000 residents and businesses in more than 400 Missouri cities, and our customers enjoy simple billing and quick, friendly service.More

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